Taking the time to read to a child can change a life.

I’ll never forget how I felt as a boy listening to my teacher Mrs.Clayville read Where the Red Fern Grows to my class. She didn’t just read Wilson Rawls’ words, she laughed with them, she cried with them, she seemed to be living them. As a class we eagerly took this literary journey with her. This heartwarming story about a boy and his dogs opened up a new world for me. Reading was no longer an exercise, it was an an experience. It was this magical feeling I received from reading that led me to become an author. Sometimes when I’m visiting a school I will be walking down the hall and I’ll hear a teacher reading one of my books out loud to his or her class. I always stop and listen for a bit and say a quiet thank you to Mrs. Clayville.